


Serenity

by bayoublackjack



Series: Love in London [41]
Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alcoholics Anonymous, F/M, Human Doctor (Doctor Who), Jack Harkness & Martha Jones Friendship, POV Martha Jones, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Sobriety, The Doctor & Donna Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-31
Updated: 2016-01-31
Packaged: 2018-05-15 07:33:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5777014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bayoublackjack/pseuds/bayoublackjack
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Having made progress with her sobriety, Martha considered taking a second chance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Serenity

Martha took a deep breath as she slowly rose from her seat.  She clutched her hands together nervously and stared at the ground to keep from making eye contact with anyone.  She had spent the last year getting to know these people and listening to their stories, but she had never felt confident enough to share her own.  At least she hadn’t until now.

“I didn’t take my first drink until university,” Martha began.  “It was at a party during fresher’s week.  My best mate Molly was drinking for the first time as well.  So we bought a pint and one sip in we were both wondering what in the hell people got out of drinking.  Then our classmate Julia let us have a taste of her vodka cranberry and that’s when it clicked.  We just weren’t beer drinking kind of girls.”

Martha glanced up, catching John’s eyes.  He gave her a nod of encouragement and she pressed on.  “Most of the time, it was just a drink here or there.  You know, being social.  Mate’s birthday.  Nailed a practicum.  End of term.  Celebratory stuff.”  She shrugged.  “Then I met this bloke named Mickey.”

Martha smiled sadly and dropped her gaze once more.  “He was my first love.  Not my first kiss, but there were a lot of other firsts.”  She chuckled softly.  “I was absolutely mad about him.  I mean he was sweet and funny and…”  She cut herself off with a heavy sigh.  “It’s hard training to be a doctor. There’s hardly time enough to sleep outside of coursework let alone properly date someone.  Mickey was patient for a while, longer than he probably could’ve been, but eventually he realised there were girls who had time for him.  So he chucked me for one of them.”

Martha frowned pensively and fiddled with her hands.  “I remember when I was little that my mum used to come home after a long day at work and have a glass of wine.  She’s a barrister.  So obviously it’s a job that carries a lot of stress.  She would always wait until she thought we were asleep or too busy with schoolwork to notice.  I never really thought much of it at first.  I was only a child really.  So why would I?”  She paused.  “Then as I got older I began to better understand.  See when my mum found out about my dad’s affair, she started having a second glass.”  She sighed softly.  “After Mickey…I reckon I started having a second glass.  And a third.  A fourth.”

Martha shook her head.  “Once it got so bad…”  She clutched her hands together as she thought back on one of the darkest moments of her life.  “There was a bloke at a party.  I can’t even remember what he looked like.  All I know is what he tried to do.  How he almost…”  She broke off again and closed her eyes for a brief moment.  “My mate Owen came to my rescue.  He told me everything would be alright and that it wasn’t my fault.  But the sad part is that I’m still not sure if he slipped me something or if I just had too much to drink.”

Martha took a calming breath and forced herself to look up at the other members of the group again.  John met her gaze and she found the strength to go on.  “After that, I barely touched alcohol.  At most, I’d have a glass of wine with the girls.  So I thought I was fine.  I thought I had everything under control.  Then things started going wrong with Tom.  He wasn’t around.  His work as a doctor kept him too busy, which is a bit of karma for the Mickey situation, I reckon.”  She laughed mirthlessly.

“Then I met someone else.  And…we began an affair.  I knew it was wrong.  I’d seen my dad do it to my mum.  I felt it when Mickey did it to me.  I knew the damage it would cause, but I did it anyway.”  She exhaled sharply.  “My drinking got worse at that point.  In retrospect, I think it was just my way of coping because I was too ashamed to admit what I was going through.  Molly was furious, of course.  Not because of anything I had done.  She was upset that I didn’t think could turn to her.  She’s always been more than just my best mate.  She’s like my sister.  So I knew she’d come around eventually.  And she did.  She’d be here today if I would have let her.”

“The biggest obstacle has been my mum.  I was absolutely terrified about how she’d react.  Not just to the cheating, but about the drinking as well.  I was afraid.  I didn’t want her to think it was her fault.  That somehow seeing her influenced me to being this way.  I mean I don’t know the complete science involved.  Nature versus nurture and the like.  Maybe there is something to it, I don’t know, but the point is I couldn’t lay that blame at her door, you know?  She’s no more to blame for my drinking than my dad’s affair is to blame for me cheating on Tom.”  Martha glanced down at her hands.  “I’ve made a lot of bad choices, but in the end…for better or worse…they’re _my_ choices.  I’m the one that has to atone for them.  This chip I’ve received today lets me know that I’m on my way there.”

As soon as she finished talking, Martha returned to her seat to listen to a few of the others who were celebrating their anniversaries.  Once the meeting ended, she stood up and immediately felt a strong arm wrap around her shoulders.

“Martha Jones, you are amazing!”  Jack declared proudly and placed a kiss to her temple.  She turned to face the American man with his bright blue eyes and dazzling smile.  “One year sober.  How does it feel?”

“Amazing?” Martha answered with a tiny chuckle.  “I don’t know.  I feel strong.”

“You _are_ strong,” he insisted.  “Survive the first year and you can do anything.”

Martha glanced in John’s direction as the group dissipated.  He was talking to his sponsor, Donna, but instinctively met her stare.  “That’s what I keep telling myself,” she told Jack.

Donna followed John’s gaze to Martha and groaned.  “Are the two of you ever going to stop dancing about and actually do something?” she complained loudly.  “Come on, blue eyes.”  She gestured for Jack to follow her.  “Let’s go have a cup of coffee and leave the two of them to sort themselves.”  She walked over to Martha and Jack, pulling Martha into a quick hug.  “Congratulations.  I’m so proud of you.”

Martha pulled back with a smile.  “Thanks, Donna.”

“C’mon, Jack.”  Donna tugged him towards to door.  “An Americano for the Americano.  My treat.”

Jack glanced over his shoulder at Martha and John.  “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” he yelled as Donna dragged him away.

“I’m a wee bit frightened to think about what would qualify as something that Jack _wouldn’t_ do,” John commented as he watched them disappear out of sight.

“Not really subtle, are they?” Martha asked with a half-smile.

“Subtlety is not something I think either of them has ever been accused of being.”

“No, I suppose not.”

John turned his eyes towards Martha.  “Let’s see it then.”

Martha held out her hand and offered up the blue token signifying her first year of sobriety.  “Not bad, eh?”

“Brilliant, I’d say,” John praised with a wide grin.  “Absolutely brilliant.”

“Yours is better.”

John reached into his pocket and fished out the bronze coin with a ‘10’ displayed on it. “You’ll get there one day as well.”

“I hope you’ll stick around to see it,” she declared boldly.

John lifted a brow.  “Oh?”

Martha chewed her bottom lip and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.  “I like having you around.”

“Do you now?”  John slipped his coin back into his pocket, keeping his hand there.  “What a difference a year makes.  I wonder if there’s been any other significant development.”

“Just one,” she said coyly.

“Aye?” he challenged.

“Well…” Martha began casually.  “My friend is getting married this weekend and I was wonder if…”

John beamed.  “Why Martha Jones, are you asking me out on a date?”

“Maybe.”  Martha bit back a smile.  “Would you be interested?”

“Well…” John drew the word out.  “I suppose I could clear my schedule.  It’s a bit of a hassle, especially with it being such short notice.”

Martha scoffed playfully.  “You’re pushing it.”

“What was your question again?”

“Do you want to be my date to my friend’s wedding?”

John’s eyes fixed on hers.  “I do.”


End file.
